An electrical connector is widely applied to position a chip module onto a circuit board. The development of technology requires higher performance of the chip module. Different chip modules need different electrical connectors, so the arrangement of the conductive terminals on the electrical connector becomes increasingly denser. Therefore, the electrical connector needs a sufficient normal force to ensure a stable and good electrical connection between the chip module and the circuit board.
An electrical connector commonly seen in the industry for electrically connecting a chip module includes: an insulating body, having a plurality of receiving holes arranged in matrix; and a plurality of conductive terminals, each having a base fixed in the receiving hole, in which an elastic arm is bent and extends upwards from the base, and the bases of the terminals at the same row are arranged in the same line. To provide a sufficient normal force and provide enough space for deformation of the elastic arms when the chip module presses the electrical connector downwards, a sufficient distance is kept between the receiving holes of adjacent rows on the electrical connector, so that the elastic arms when deformed under a force does not exceed the line of the front row.
Therefore, although the above electrical connector structure can provide a sufficient normal force, the sufficient distance kept between the receiving holes of adjacent rows is not beneficial for the dense arrangement of the conductive terminals on the electrical connector.
To achieve the dense arrangement of the conductive terminals and enable the electrical connector to provide a sufficient normal force, another electrical connector for electrically connecting a chip module is disclosed and includes: an insulating body, having multiple rows of receiving holes arranged in a staggered manner; and a plurality of conductive terminals, each having a base fixed in the receiving holes, in which an elastic arm is bent and extends upwards from the base towards the conductive terminals of the front row, the bases of the terminals at the same row are arranged in the same line, and the elastic arms of the back row exceed the line of the front row. As such, the electrical connector is enabled to provide a sufficient normal force, and meanwhile it is beneficial for the dense arrangement of the conductive terminals. However, the elastic arms exceed the line of the front row before the chip module is pressed downwards, and the bases of the same row are connected by a shared strip, that is, before the chip module is pressed downwards, the elastic arms exceed the strip of the front row in spatial distance. As a result, when the strip is operated to insert the conductive terminals onto the insulating body, the operator must insert the conductive terminals in a predetermined direction, and if the insertion direction is not the predetermined direction, the conductive terminals and the strips of the adjacent rows may scratch or collide with each other, causing damage to the conductive terminals, thus influencing the stable buckling connection of the electrical connector structure.
Therefore, a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the art to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.